Table leg mounting bracket and latch structure therefor



y 1955 J. B. ADLER 2,708,146

TABLE LEG MOUNTING BRACKET AND LATCH STRUCTURE THEREFOR Filed Jan. 26,1954 INVENTOR. Joli/V 8. 40451? United States TABLE LEG MOUNTING BRACKETAND LATCH STRUCTURE THEREFOR John B. Adler, Grosse Ile, Mich, assignorto Shwayder Brothers, Inc, Denver, Colo., a corporation of ColoradoApplication January 26, 1954, Serial No. 406,280

1 Claim. (Cl. 31199) may be disengaged from its locked upright positionand may be manually rotated into the plane of the table frame and lockedagainst accidental release.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specificationand claim, in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the tubular frame of acard table, to which the present leg locking device is applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view thereof, with the frameshown in section and with a portion of the table top fragmentarilyshown, said view in dotted lines indicating the collapsed position ofthe table leg.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the corner angle or mountingbracket forming a part of the present leg locking device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the lug bracket secured to thetable leg by which the same is joined to the leg locking device.

Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the upper portion ofthe table leg; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely apreferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments arecontemplated within the scope of the claim hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing, the present automatic lug type leg lockingdevice for a card table is positioned within each of the interiorcorners of the tubular table frame 11, which is of general rectangularshape and which has an interior upright wall 12. Upon said frame ismounted a substantially rectangular table top fragmentarily indicated at13 and which has depending from its undersurface adjacent its peripheraledge a series of angle members 14 secured thereto by the rivets 15 andwith the depending portions of said angle members bearing against thewall 12 of said frame as shown in Fig. 2, and secured thereto by aseries of screws 16, which extend through transverse apertures in theangle members and through corresponding apertures in wall 12, wherebythe table top 13 is snugly supported and retained upon the hollowrectangular frame 11.

Arranged in upright position within each of the interior corners offrame 11 are corner angle brackets 17, each of which includes an uprightbase plate and a pair of upright laterally extending spaced arms 18 and21.

Arm 18 has an angular extension 19, which bears against the interior offrame 11 and is supportably secured thereto as by the weld 25.

Base plate 20 is additionally in engagement with the interior of frame11, and immovably secured thereto as by the weld 26; and in this mannereach of the corner angle brackets are rigidly positioned within therespective frame corners to provide the pivotal mounting and lockingdevice for each of the table legs 27, in the manner hereafter described.

Upon opposite sides of arms 18 and 21, there are arranged a pair ofopposed inwardly directed horizontal lugs 23, which are turneddownwardly from portions of said arms, defining the slots 22. Each ofthe arms is transversely apertured as at 24 for cooperatively receivingthe pin 37, upon which the leg is loosely mounted and pivoted, ashereafter set forth.

The tubular leg 27 terminates at its upper end in the tubular extension28, which is square in cross-section and which has in its opposite sidewalls the transverse downwardly tapered slots 29, which loosely andcooperatively receive pivot pin 37.

An upright U-shaped lug bracket 31 with laterally directed parallelspaced sides 3233 and with downwardly tapered slots 34 formed in saidside walls, is positioned around the upper end 28 of leg 27, andimmovably secured thereto as by the welds 36, Fig. 1. So arranged, theslots 34 of lug bracket 31, are in alignment with leg slots 29 and areadapted to loosely receive pivot pin 37, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

At the lower ends of the side arms 32 and'33, are a pair of outwardlydirected horizontally disposed lugs 35 adapted for cooperative nestingand positioning within the transverse slots 42 and 42' respectively,formed in the undersurfaces of angle bracket arms 21 and 18, formaintaining leg 27 when open rigidly in an upright position and at rightangles to the plane of frame 11.

Transverse pin 38 extends through an upper portion of leg 27 and issuitably secured thereto as by rivet-: ing or otherwise. Coiled spring39 is loosely positioned within the upper portion of leg 27 and legelement 28 and its upper end extends around and is secured to pivot pin37 as at point 40, Fig. 1, whereas the lower end of said spring issecured in tension as at 41 to the said transverse pin 38. Spring 39thus in cooperation with pins 37 and 38, resiliently maintains leg 27 inupright position within angle bracket 17, as shown in the drawing.

It will be noted furthermore that lug bracket 31 is snugly yet movablypositioned within bracket 17 with the respective upright portionsthereof cooperatively engaging the interior surface portions of plate 20and arms 18 and 21, which form a part thereof. This cooperation of thelug bracket with said angle bracket 17 effectively maintains the leg 27in its upright position, so that it does not wobble, but on the otherhand is substantially rigid, as it should be. Also upper portions of theplates 32 and 33 of lug bracket 31 cooperatively engage lugs 23effectively maintaining said lug bracket snugly against interior surfaceportions of angle bracket 17.

Arm 21 has a curved edge 43, portions of which are equi-distant from pin37, and over which one of the lugs 35 is adapted to ride as the leg ismanually pivoted about pin 37 from the upright position of Fig. 2, intoits dotted line position, within the plane of the frame 11.

In order to release the lugs 35 from the slots 42 and 42, the leg 27 ismanually moved downwardly slightly in a direction at right angles to theplane of the table frame, and against the action of spring 39, wherebysaid lugs are disengaged from slots 42, permitting rotation of leg 27,spring 39 maintaining lug 35 against curved surface 43 as said leg isrotated.

Before rotation however, this downward disengage 3 ment of lugs 35, alsodisengages lug bracket 31 from the angle bracket lugs 23, whereby theleg is now free to rotate. In addition to the lugs 23, the slots 42 and4-3, in retaining lugs 35, effectively secure the leg in an upright openposition.

Curved edge 43 terminates in the transverse upright slot 44 formed inarm 21, which slot lies in a plane at right angles to a plane passingthrough arm slots 42 and 42.

As the leg rotates 90 degrees, one of the lugs 35 retain- 2 ingly nestswithin arm slot 44 for maintaining the leg in a collapsed positionwithin the table frame. One end of slot 44 has a tapered portion 45which merges with the upper end of curved arm portion 43 and upon adownward thrust exerted upon the leg there is a camming relationshipestablished between lug 35 and said inclined surface 45, in order todisengage said lug from slot 44, and to thereby permit rotary downwardmovement of the leg and bracket 31 about pin 37 with said lug ridingupon curved surface 43.

As the two lugs 35 reach the slots 42 and 42', they will snap intoposition therein, in view of the action of the spring 39, which is undertension at all times. At the same time the leg and lug bracket 31 moveupwardly suf' ficiently so as to be retainingly engaged at their upperends by the angle bracket lugs 23, thus locking the legs in upright openposition for use.

35 designated in Fig. 2, indicates the dotted line located positioningof lug 35 within slot 44, corresponding to the dotted line positioningof leg 27 when said leg I- is pivoted into the plane of frame 11.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the claimwhich follows for determining the scope thereof.

I claim:

A leg locking device for a card table having a frame comprising anupright U-shaped corner angle bracket secured to said frame at each ofits interior corners, each bracket having an upright base plate and apair of upright laterally extending spaced arms, with opposed aperturestherethrough, a tubular leg with its upper end retainingly nested withinsaid bracket, a transversely arranged pin extending through saidapertures and loosely through said leg, a coiled spring loosely disposedwithin 4 said leg with its upper end secured to said pin and with itslower end secured in tension to said leg, said leg having opposedupright downwardly converging slots cooperatively receiving said pin,said leg being manually movable downwardly of said frame relatively tosaid pin against the tension of said spring, an upright U-shaped lugbracket with laterally directed spaced sides secured around the sides ofsaid leg at its upper end, cooperatively engaging said base plate andarms, said sides having opposed apertures corresponding to and alignedwith said leg apertures loosely receiving said pin, inwardly directedhorizontally disposed lugs extending from upper portions of said armsspaced from said base plate, the upper end of said lug bracket beingretainingly positioned between said base plate and lugs, said armshaving undercut slots in their lower edges spaced outwardly of said baseplate, lugs projecting outwardly from said lug bracket retaininglynested within said latter slots, said lug bracket upon downward movementof said leg with respect to said angle bracket being disengageable fromsaid arm lugs, said bracket lugs being disengageable from said armslots, whereby said leg may be pivoted about said pin into the plane ofsaid frame, one of said slotted arms having a curved portion with partsthereof equi-distant from said pin, said curved portion terminating in atransverse slot lying in a plane at right angles to said first armslots, one of said bracket lugs being adapted to ride over said curvedportion and retainingly nest within said transverse slot, one wall ofsaid latter transverse slot being tapered towards said curved armportion for camming engagement with one of said bracket lugs tofacilitate downward pivotal opening movement of said leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,809,564 OConnor et al. June 9, 1931 1,820,592 Bauer Aug. 25, 19311,855,857 Harman Apr. 26, 1932 1,876,010 Kusterle Sept. 6, 19321,910,974 Vance May 23, 1933 1,938,507 Wilson Dec. 5, 1933 2,003,835Mitchell June 4, 1935 2,487,401 Turner Nov. 8, 1949

